Textual/Musical Interrelationships in Five Unaccompanied Works by Ivo Antognini

Abstract

Although the choral music of Ivo Antognini (b.1963) has been widely disseminated, little scholarly literature exists on his music save two reviews in Choral Journal. That his choral compositions are performed often is likely due to their accessible harmonic language. Despite the apparent accessibility of this music, however, detailed analysis reveals considerable compositional sophistication. The purpose of this document is to shed light on the structure of Antognini’s music, to examine the complexities of his text painting, and to provide conductors a blueprint to effectively perform the five selected works. A close examination of his music reveals a multi-tiered concept of text painting, including the simultaneous use of melodic, dynamic, harmonic and rhythmic compositional devices to evoke the text. If these devices are identified in advance and are emphasized in the choral preparation it will lead to performances that are more nuanced and expressive for both the choir and the audience. In this study I analyze and discuss five unaccompanied works by Antognini. These works, which have been selected to show the breadth of his choral output, demonstrate the following salient style features: (1) O gloriosa domina contains several extended tertian harmonies in inversion, and polychords; (2) O filii et filiae exhibits considerable harmonic interest that is developed through suspensions and the use of the Mixolydian mode; (3) Invictus contains dissonances, polychords, and tonal shifts in mixed meter at a slow tempo; (4) Canticum novum is marked by dissonances, polychords, and tonal shifts in mixed meter at a fast tempo; and (5) the melodies of Ubi caritas reflect the influence of plainchant.